Tom Riddle and the Ray of Sunshine
by artsybean
Summary: One shot- He couldn't feel but he wanted to. He wanted to with a burning passion and for the first time in his life, he felt self loathing for not being able to love the girl radiating sunshine. But he deflected her light. Tom Marvolo Riddle was, unfortunately, too great for love. This is the heartwrenching story detailing the events in which Riddle's first horcrux came to be.


**DISCLAIMER: This is based off of the works of J. K. Rowling and I did not create nor do I own this universe or its characters. (Note: Althea is a character I created)**

Tom Marvolo Riddle's capacity for emotions was unmistakably acute. That being said, these emotions ranged from a hurricane of misunderstood fury when something - or someone, if they even dared think about it - set him off, to a swelling of pride when he earned top marks on an exam. That was about the extent of it.

Happiness never crossed his mind and he could never even begin to fathom the possibility of forming friendships. No, not him. He was too great to exude such vulnerability and put his trust in another wizard. Tom planned on things much bigger than himself, although he would never admit how ridiculously grand they were.

There was never a doubt in anyone's mind about him being sorted into Slytherin - ambition seemed to flow through his veins. He truly craved spotlight and wanted to be the best there ever was.

This became increasingly difficult, however, when one person challenged this. A witch by the name of Althea Valerio. It was sickening to Tom how anyone could receive better grades than him or have a more charming impression on the professors.

Everyone adored her and the stupid smile that never left her face. Often times, Tom wondered if it hurt her to smile that much. But worst of all - the thing that made Tom want to bend over and hurl the most - his competitor was a Gryffindor.

Now, where should he begin regarding Gryffindors? Even with rivalries set aside, he found a majority of them to be arrogant and naïve, not to mention incredibly gullible and a bit stupid. Being second best - he shuddered at the thought - to anyone, let alone a Gryffindor, was frankly unacceptable in his book.

His first interaction with Althea was anything but pleasant. The professor had her walk around as if she was some sort of god after she successfully completed her potion far before everyone else. She strolled through the classroom, asking everyone if they needed help along the way.

Now, Tom wasn't one to make mistakes often, at least in his eyes, but he just so happened to spill one of the ingredients as she reached his table. He silently swore under his breath. Althea's eyes widened and she asked him if he needed help, immediately picking up the vial even though he declined. Tom scoffed and watched her clean up the mess, despite his protests. He didn't need some Gryffindor to help him. He didn't need anyone to help him for that matter.

"You didn't have to do that," he said. It was usually a nice phrase but wasn't intended that way as the annoyance was clear in his voice and his facial expression. Who does this girl think she is? She looked up from the contents of the vial and met his gaze before quickly averting her eyes, a frown now adorning her face. He figured he had probably offended her, but he really couldn't care less. He studied her face.

Tom was very perceptive, but it didn't take this skill to see that she was clearly good looking. She had nice hazel eyes and dimples on both cheeks along with dark hair and caramel colored skin. All the more reason to hate her.

Althea locked eyes with the presumptuous boy when she noticed him staring. The frown on her face quickly faded away before she wordlessly walked to the next table and offered them her assistance.

Many days had passed after Tom's first interaction with Althea. They would see each other in passing and had a few classes together but would never talk; if she ever even looked in his direction, Tom would walk away immediately. **_You aren't supposed to be friendly with the competition_** , he constantly reminded himself. He had been studying harder than ever in a desperate attempt to one-up Althea. No matter what it took, he would become the best student at this school. Hogwarts meant more to Tom than it could ever mean to her.

When Tom thought about it, he came to the realization that Althea probably never viewed it as a competition. **_How pathetic_**. She probably waltzed around Hogwarts in her sunshiny world and was just naturally better than everyone at everything. It disgusted him.

That was when he formed the insane theory that she cheated on every single past test and assignment. Thinking about this made him go mad in constant theorizing, but he held onto these thoughts swarming his mind as he walked through the corridors of Hogwarts with an outwardly calm demeanor. He needed to find out what she was doing to have everything go right for her. Maybe she was constantly brewing Felix Felicis somehow.

No...that's not right. How could she be getting supplied with all the ingredients? Although he knew these were improbable predictions, he couldn't help but build on this theory. There has to be a reason for someone exceeding his level of greatness.

Clearing his mind momentarily, he turned the corner in the direction of Transfiguration class. Not quite looking where he was walking, he bumped straight into the witch he least wanted to see and her books scattered everywhere. Tom didn't bother to apologize, but instead helped her pick them up. In that moment it dawned on him that if he gained her trust she could possibly tell him how she made such high grades a short time ago.

A short time ago because, you see, Althea had been acting off ever since a week before. There was a noticeable drop in her grades and even in her attitude. She didn't raise her hand in class nearly as much, her normally pin-straight posture was slightly slouched, and her usual effervescent smile wasn't as bright as it used to be. It gave Tom an odd sense of accomplishment and he couldn't wait to be the star student in her downfall.

"Thanks," Althea muttered, seeming to dislike the fact that Tom Riddle was actually helping her. Definitely something new.

However, in the midst of picking up books, he noticed a small leather bound journal labeled 'diary' on the floor in front of him. Instinctively, he stepped forward so that his cloak covered it. He looked up to make sure his action went unnoticed. It did. He handed her the textbooks that he had picked up with a small salute and she quickly walked away.

That night, Tom couldn't fall asleep. He was laying awake hoping Althea didn't think he picked up those books because he had feelings for her. That would be extremely cliché, especially since what happened earlier that day seemed like it would come straight out of a book directed towards the young female audience. He didn't want to live some teen-witch romantic novel.

Then, an idea struck and he couldn't let it go. Despite it being 1 A.M., Tom slipped out of his bed and stepped into his slippers. He kneeled down and hastily looked through his trunk in search of the diary. When he finally held the small book in his hands, he returned to his bed with his wand radiating light.

He settled back down and opened up the diary slowly, prepared to read. He was relieved to find that there were no protective charms set on the battered looking thing. Tom thought this foolish and wondered why she didn't protect her secrets.

Eyes scanning the pages, he searched for intel on how she'd become better than him. After a few minutes of reading he groaned. This was the most monotonous, uninteresting thing he had ever read. Every page was filled with a daily account of how she was feeling and what happened to her that day...and with so much unnecessary damn detail.

Realizing the rest of the diary was probably as painful to read as the first part was, he decided to skim through it. When he reached near the end there was still no information about any cheating. Something else caught his eye, however. It was his name. Partially intrigued in seeing what she wrote about him, he read through the paragraph.

It was the day of their first 'meeting.' Tom was slightly disappointed to find only a fraction of the paragraph mentioned him.

"Well, I cleaned up Tom Riddle's spilled ingredient in Potions today. A little weird. He was aberrantly rude, but I'm sure he's a good person deep down," It read. **_That's where you're wrong_** , echoed throughout his mind and he stifled a snort of laughter.

He was starting to grow irritated that the diary held no proof of wrongdoings she may have possibly committed. Soon enough, he flipped to the last page with writing on it. It was from a week ago. Smudged ink and wrinkled paper. Tear stains, he concluded and read on.

"My parents are gone. They're missing. I'll be okay I think. I don't know. I'm taking a break from writing until they come back. One day they will."

Suddenly, everything clicked into place. The off behavior was a result of her missing parents. He felt as if there was a newly placed weight on his heart. Tom rushed to blame this on the thought that his competitor had to have a weakness for him to succeed. It wasn't the right way to win a competition because it didn't prove that he could do it without said weakness existing.

;

The weather began its descent into the biting peril of cold more commonly known as winter. Hogwarts students had just finished rushing around and handing in last minute assignments; they were now all leaving to spend the holidays with their families.

The concept of family was foreign to Tom, who had never experienced that kind of bond. Every year he stayed at Hogwarts, but he never felt the need to complain. He relished the silence that came along each year when all the other students left; however, one more student would be staying behind this year.

Tom didn't think too much into it, but he figured Althea would be staying behind due to the vanishing of her parents. His prediction proved to be true a couple days later when he noticed her walking in the near-empty corridor with her eyes glued to the ground. **_Time to work up your charm_** , Tom.

"Hey, Miss Sunshine!" He shouted across the wide hallway.

She lifted her head to determine who called her and why that person referred to her as 'Miss Sunshine.' Her brows knitted together instantly when her eyes laid on...Tom Riddle? Ordinarily, the boy would avoid her at all costs. His changed attitude left her taken aback and she began doubting if what she had heard was real.

Althea pointed towards herself and mouthed 'Me?'. When Riddle nodded, she felt like she was in some parallel universe where this kid actually had feelings. Still in a confused daze, she walked towards him.

"Um...hi?" She uttered out in a questioning, yet still amiable, tone.

"I was just wondering if you'd like to talk sometime," Tom responded, feigning genuineness with a warm smile and a fake awkward neck scratch. One thing Tom could always be proud of were his incredible acting skills. The thought **_just get her to trust you_** reverberated through his mind.

It was clear that this statement baffled Althea even more. She held one eyebrow arched. Waving her hand in front of his eyes, she finally responded, "Uhh..hello? I'm Althea..remember? Your self-acclaimed mortal enemy?"

"Yep, I remember," he chimed matter-of-factly and rocked on his heels with his hands behind his back. "I'm determined on making amends. And you've seemed a little down in the dumps lately, so I'm leaving an open offer of quality talking time with Tom on the table."

"I haven't been down in the dumps!" Althea fired back defensively with crossed arms and a dangerously sharp glare. "I'm just...tired.." she lamely excused.

"I don't believe it for a second," he smirked with a mischievous glint present in his eyes. Althea opened her mouth to object but Tom held his hands up in surrender and interjected before she could begin, "Hey there, I just wanted to let you know I wanted to change the relationship between us, and if you need to talk I'm here. I'm having a few regrets about my past behaviors and a beautiful girl like you doesn't deserve such a bully as I."

With that, he walked off. He didn't bother to look back to see her reaction as it was insignificant to him in that moment. The hot-headed boy let out a sigh of relief. That was the most painfully tiring and cringeworthy thing he had done in the past year and he hated being so nice to her. Half of Tom hoped she wouldn't take him up on his offer so he wouldn't have to hold up the friendly act again.

Unfortunately for Riddle, she did take up the offer.

It was just like any other winter morning. Cold, quiet, comfortable. Tom was on his way to the dining hall for breakfast when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Expecting it to be a professor complimenting him on one of his recent essays, he turned around eagerly.

Althea stood with a half frown and looked as if she already regretted even approaching him. She was chewing on her lip nervously and her eyes were wider than usual. "Remember when you asked me if I'd like to talk? Well...I honestly don't really want to, but at this point I have no other favorable option. So can I speak with you?"

;

"There's no other way to say this than to get straight to the point...but my parents...They...they vanished," Althea said. Tom was fairly surprised she opened up to him so quickly...very foolish. He could see she was holding back tears but, to his surprise, she didn't cry. He both slightly admired her for it and mentally thanked her because the last thing he wanted to do was give her an awkward pat. He hated when people cried because he could only deal with so much of other people's emotions.

They were sitting in a random corridor that was normally empty, both having one of their sides lean against the wall in order to face each other. He knew apologizing for her would be pointless and makes no sense because he didn't make her parents disappear himself. So he very reluctantly wrapped his arms around her and asked, "When?"

At first she was stiff in his arms, shocked and tense. Soon she relaxed and replied with, "11 days."

Tom had known how to string words together effectively for years and this was the perfect moment to put this skill to good use. "I can't tell you with absolute certainty that they'll come back. What I can tell you is that no matter if they come back or not, you made them proud and happy and that is enough. You will be sad about their absence for quite some time, but sitting around and losing hold of your life is the worst way to deal with it and your parents would not want that for you. Keep your head up and think about how this isn't the end of your life. They'd want you to achieve and be happy," he advised sternly but in a convincingly soft tone, releasing his arms and backing up a bit so he could see her face.

Althea silently stared at him and her eyes sparkled in calculating wonder. Tom started to lose his temper but he didn't let it show in his expression. **_I just gave an impactful speech and she's not even going to reply?_**

She squeezed him in a hug and mumbled a thanks before standing up and brushing her skirt off. He stood as well, thankful the conversation was so short.

He watched her start to walk away before turning back around. "Hey, um... Could we talk again sometime? In a less sad way, of course. I think...I think I was really wrong about you."

The plan was rolling. He was on his way to gaining her trust. "Sure." Tom put on a fake smile and began heading the other direction.

;

As the two were walking the halls of Hogwarts, Tom found himself genuinely laughing for the first time in years and maybe even his life. It felt extremely peculiar...but really, really good.

They had been joking around and telling childhood stories. Tom's were always dark, but Althea found that refreshing for some odd reason. Nevertheless, she had just finished explaining her odd obsession of grass as a child. As a tot, she told her mother that she wanted to be grass when she grew up.

When the Gryffindor and Slytherin had first started their walk, Tom was really dreading having to spend time with her. An hour in, he found her tolerable and, to his dismay, it was nice to take a break from loneliness.

It was obvious she was still upset about the disappearance of her parents, but she covered it better now. Plus, her attitude and grades were rising again.

;

Days passed. Days turned into weeks and suddenly months had passed. Tom was interacting with Althea excessively more than he had originally intended to do. They'd meet after their classes and before meals. They'd walk the halls and tell each other random things. Tom would always be selective when he spoke to her, of course. He couldn't tell her too much personal information because that leads to vulnerability.

Vulnerability wasn't in Riddle's vocabulary.

He gained her trust after only a few days of them meeting. **_Too easy_** , he'd think to himself with a smirk. Tom was more proud of his wit and charm than usual. He'd persuaded her to reveal the secrets behind her grades by asking her in a complimentary form.

"How do you get your marks so high? It's absolutely brilliant how talented you are," he had marveled. To which she replied brightly that she had a list of study tips to share with him.

This wasn't exactly as he had anticipated. He foresaw her ranting about some tool from a wizarding joke shop that helped her memorize with ease, or something of the like. But new studying tips was better than nothing, he figured.

;

More time flew by. It was time that consisted of deeper conversations, more hugging, and more walks. Tom would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy her company. She was one of the things he looked forward to when he woke up, but this was largely because he wasn't even remotely close with anyone else. He secretly did still find himself subconsciously competing with her, but it had definitely died down from earlier in the year.

He enjoyed seeing her smile and they surprisingly had more in common than Tom could ever imagine.

The days started stretching longer and the weather began heating up slowly. They decided to take advantage of the warmth from the sun and went on a picnic.

Tom laid a large blanket out onto the blooming field before he sat down. Althea used his legs as a pillow and laid facing the sky as she twisted flowers together in the attempt to make flower crowns. She was never successful and the stems continued to snap when they were being tied into knots.

Soon she gave up and started eating the food they brought down from the Great Hall. Tom stroked her cheek absentmindedly before twirling her hair in his fingers. The scenery and environment allowed the Slytherin to finally be at peace for a moment; grass swayed in the wind melodically, birds chirped joyously, and the flowers smelled heavenly.

Althea sat straight up after having her eyebrows furrowed for a few moments. "I think I just realized something...And I think it's really scary." He eyed her curiously, trying to figure out what she was thinking about.

Here she was, gazing into his harsh eyes with such fierce passion and yet her doe-shaped, bright eyes were brimmed with tears. She looked how he felt - broken. After a moment filled with the most unimaginable amount of tension, she broke the silence.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle...I am in love with you," Althea finally said, almost laughing at the feeling she got when it was said aloud. **_No, you aren't. No one's in love with me. Love isn't real. You don't know me_**. He didn't reciprocate her words, because if he did it would be a lie. He felt nothing.

Instead, he put on the most genuine looking smile he could conjure up. Tom placed his hands gingerly on her cheeks and slowly closed the distance between them. He gave her the most convincing kiss he had in him. It was gentle and slow, but had edge and would probably make onlookers uncomfortable. He felt no electricity like all romance novels described a kiss to have. But, then again, Tom didn't love her.

Despite this, he told her his plans. Plans he'd never told a single soul. On this day, Tom Marvolo Riddle opened up more than he had in his entire life.

;

These plans came into focus.

There they were in the Room of Requirement. Both on their knees, their hearts racing. A single knife sat on the floor beside them, the light reflecting off of it in an almost taunting way.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Tom asked, his voice cutting through the eerily silent room. He was growing less confident in this decision by the second but didn't let it show.

With so much love in her eyes, it was impossible Althea would ever reply with no. She nodded vigorously and he gave a curt nod to show his acknowledgement. He could see the small twinge of doubt in her expression, but it was clear just how much she would sacrifice for this boy she knew so little about. That's one thing Tom would just never understand about love; therefore, he found it mind boggling that she was sitting here with him.

"Tom..." she began to speak in a wavering voice, "you were the only one who not only noticed I was depressed but did something about it. You were the only one who wanted to know how I felt and why. You were the only one who cared if I was happy again and you wanted to make sure it happened. For that, I am forever indebted to you. I can say with certainty the only thing left on this earth for me is pain. This is what I want."

It happened instantaneously. The knife was lodged in her gut. Tears lined her eyes as she firmly held onto his hand. "I-I love you," she managed to get out, desperately searching his face for a visual response. He was stone cold expressionless. In only seconds her grasp on his hand loosened completely and she simply slipped away. Life dwindled from her body. He pulled the knife out and dropped it. It clattered on the floor. It echoed. The world slowed down.

The sound of his heart. Short, rapid beating. Violent succession. The noise of his blood pounding throughout his body drowned out any other sound and the more he focused on it, the faster the beating got until eventually he couldn't take it any longer and the sick feeling in his stomach reached its way to his mind. His thoughts became poison.

Tom felt like he was drowning and every attempt he made at breathing became futile. His eyes widened. When he looked at the now lifeless corpse he felt himself sink deeper into a pit of denial. **_This isn't Althea. She's not smiling or scrunching her nose up after making a stupid joke. This is just a body. Althea is still here._**

"She's gone," Tom said to himself in wild disbelief, standing up as he was unable to stop the shakiness traveling through his body like an earthquake. It didn't just happen. It couldn't have. But it did.

"WHY COULDN'T I JUST LOVE HER?" he yelled to the air, exasperated. When the thought that Althea was gone forever finally registered in his mind, he sat back down while still in a shivering state. His bustling mind was accompanied by hysterical hyperventilating and laughter dripping with absolute uncontainable madness.

There would be no more sunshiny smiles to cross this beautiful face. The sparkle that normally rested comfortably in her eyes is long gone.

He pulled out what would become his first ever horcrux.

Her diary.

;

He couldn't feel but he wanted to. He wanted to with a burning passion and for the first time in his life, he felt self loathing. He felt self loathing for not being able to love her. His mind screamed for her but only for selfish reasons, he knew. His heart was pounding, and yet he wanted her gone forever. He could never feel the love that radiated off her because he deflected it. He wouldn't accept that anyone could care about him.

No, not him. Tom Marvolo Riddle was, unfortunately, too great for love.


End file.
